FILLING IN THE BLANKS

If ever there was a theme for my week that has now commenced, this would be the descriptive title I would assign it. I have the duties of reclassifying those thoughts in my head into summaries, presentation content and materials, and interview answers to unknown questions. In addition, there is also the standard weekly task list to drudge through as well. In general though, I would have to call this a big picture week. With this comes some anxiety in meeting the demands of predetermined schedules and deadlines of others.First, we have writing a paragraph to describe what I intend to talk about in a presentation next month– this is a fairly easy task as I had already done so in the form of an abstract submission and with past experience. This means it’s not completely off the top of my head. It needs to have appeal, but does not require the gory details of what it’s actually all about. In this case, it simply requires a makeover to an existing description and elaboration of what was originally proposed . Either way, getting the message across without lacking luster is the goal so I started with this and easily accomplished the small feat.

Next in line is answering some questions that were posed as feedback to a draft presentation. When you already have and know those answers, again, it’s just a matter of wrapping it up into a sellable package. This requires a bit more detail, time and thought it how to present it succinctly yet be sufficient. So, I must revisit what I had come up with as my first draft. First, I find the entry points for the new information (answers to the posed feedback questions). I must summarize these answers to then have the (powerpoint) slide content. The next step is to write the specific details word for word, as much as my mind can presently dispel. Next, I watch my own slide show. Interesting. Makes sense to me. Although, that’s not quite adequete. It is more important that it makes sense to others. So, I pursue a preliminary and appropriate audience to watch my show and read through what I wrote in trying to best describe what it’s all about. When it makes sense to them, I’ll be ready to send it in. Round two of the draft is then prepared for submission.

Lastly, we have the always dreaded interview. In pursuing a new venture, I am considering a new position that does not involve creating and administrating Business Intelligence as much as it would be applying it. When you have become a certified master of BI development, how easy is it to turn the table on yourself and apply it in the best ways you know how? I may, in fact, get to do so and therefore might be able to answer that question down the road. It’s the teacher becoming the student, but, in fact, it is within the education arena. I guess that would make it a teacher becoming a teacher with a new class – primarily the external business customer rather than the familiar territory of the internal customer. Either way, it’s career development whether it continues down a new road or I encounter a stop sign and stay within IT (which is not, by far, a dead end). It provides me with perspective, practice and is thought-provoking to consider further potential. So, in essence, it really is not dreaded. To me, it is not entitlement or a competition, it’s not a salary heist, and it’s not bailing on what I currently do (these have all been interpretations by others). It is a re-evaluation of my entire skill set and entertaining the possibility of reappropriating myself into what I am best suited to do for the organization by simply being myself. I'm the one that is always looking for more (blanks to fill in).

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Follow one Business Intelligence Administrator as she tackles the daily challenges of various projects, including the development ...
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Follow one Business Intelligence Administrator as she tackles the daily challenges of various projects, including the development of OLAP tools, infrastructure upgrade compliance, enterprise administration, and new product evaluation. With over a decade of experience in various BI applications, she is able to provide helpful solutions and tools to enhance your BI efforts on-the-job.
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